pictures of you, pictures of me (open)

Jovian was sat in a compartment by himself, which is how he preferred it. Once at Hogwarts, he wouldn't have his own space. Currently he had his bags open and was pulling out pieces of parchment and various books, putting the finishing touches onto his summer assignments. The entire compartment was soon covered in papers and open books and ink jars, and he was scribbling away at something that needed quite a lot of editing.

Something fell out from the book he was leaning on as he adjusted his legs, and he picked it up. It was a photo of Hazel Cartwright, his bride to be. His Mother had given it to him on the day his parents announced their engagement: he supposed it was meant to be some kind of keepsake, but he hadn't looked at it since that day. It had just got stuffed into a book and forgotten about. Now he was actually looking at it (with a stoic expression he was reknowned for), he realised how pretty her eyes were...

Perhaps that was something he could enjoy in their marriage.

Emery had been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts for her fifth year since it meant that she could get away from the Cartwright household. She hated being home and recently the new topic had been of Hazel’s engagement which annoyed Emery a lot since it just gave them one more thing to tell Emery that she wasn’t good enough for. She also missed the Quidditch match and the rush of it.

Quidditch had been the thing she missed the most and couldn’t wait until she was back on the pitch. She gotten onto the express and started to search around for a compartment, she didn’t feel like bothering Faolan and her friends. She loved her friends but they could get annoying after a while in Emery’s mind. She walked down the corridor until a flash of a brown struck her and she stopped to see. She stopped dead to see a man who she had seen around campus, and had a tenancy to keep to himself. A smirk escape her face, perhaps this could be fun and different.

A simple knock on the compartment door with hopes of grabbing his attention didn’t hurt for once. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad thing to hang out with someone new before she went to her usual place.

“Jovian Medina”

There was a knock outside, and his eyes lifted from the photo. There were those eyes - just the same as the photo's - staring back at him. His gaze lingered on the girl impassively, then moved down to the photo again. No - these were two different girls. This wasn't Hazel Cartwright knocking at the door, although they looked so alike they could have been related. He didn't dismiss that as a possibility.

His heavy, penetrating stare bore into the girl as she stood outside, and he waited for an explanation to the disturbance. He couldn't imagine why the girl was there. They weren't aquainted, he was sure of that. Jovian blinked, slowly, waiting.

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery stood in the stairway as the male had finally lifted his gaze to her, and it's where she released there was a picture in his hand of a girl from what she could see in the distance. The male gave her a penetrating scare, and she just stared back at him, it lead to an awkward silence.

"You're the chaser for Slytherin, aren't you?" asked Emery trying to break the ice. Since she felt it was a good way to make conversation because the two weren't acquainted in the slightest. "I'm the captain for Gryffindor."

@Jovian Medina

Jovian neither confirmed or denied her question, but she seemed to already know that he was on the quidditch team. He just continued to stare at her in silence, trying to decipher what possessed her to talk to him. She was in Gryffindor, so they likely weren't in the same league as one another. However going by her accent, it was too much of a coincidence that she and Hazel had the same eyes and were both American. They must be sisters. Perhaps she wasn't entirely dismissible then, he supposed.

After a long while of just staring at her, he finally spoke. "Why?" It was a very strange thing to ask from another's perspective. "Why does someone like you play quidditch?"

@Emerald Cartwright

Oh god, here we go, had been Emery's thought.

She crossed her arms watching his very annoying stare, and couldn't believe that someone questioned why she played Quidditch since girls played it for years. "It's a good way for me to let my anger out, and do you ask your female teammates that question?" she asked in a questioning tone. "It's a healthy way of letting your anger out." shrugged Emery..

Or at least she liked to think it was.

"What a waste."

He said it plainly, without emotion.

"Anger doesn't suit you. You're too pretty for that."

This wasn't something he was saying to get a rise out of her. This was clearly something he actually believed to be true, or otherwise he wouldn't bother saying it. Jovian dropped his gaze from her and picked up a few books, placing them back inside of his bag as though he hadn't just outright offended her.

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery loved Quidditch with a passion, and honestly couldn’t imagine her life right now without it. She deep down though felt like he didn’t approve, but she also didn’t know him, and knew people had a very outdated mindset nowadays.

She gave him a smile, “You know being pretty only makes it more of a reason, because beauty is something that can make us incredibly angry.” she shrugged. She knew the price of being pretty, and it’s why she didn’t care much about it. “Ever hear the term pretty hurts?” asked Emery, who didn’t expect him to say much.

She just stood and watched him read his books, and waited for his response.

“No,” he said simply, and he really hadn’t heard of it. It sounded like an excuse.

He was looking at her again: his eyes level and unwavering. The majority of his assignments were collected and put back inside of his bag now, but the photo of Hazel had been abandoned on the seat next to him, escaping his notice.

“Is there any other reason why you’re here?” She had asked him who he was, then introduced herself. To someone who was quite inadequate socially, he didn’t understand the rules of conversation, or that people could just be friendly. Everything was cold - hard - to the point. If it wasn’t, he struggled understanding it.

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery hadn't met someone who stared as much as this guy had done. Didn't he know how to talk to people, but she also was shocked that he was willing to talk to her. "I just saw a whole bunch of books and had been curious what you were up to, but I guess the conversation about Quidditch took over." she chuckled.

Then a photo sparked her interest, and she looked at it closely. "Who's that girl? She's really pretty." she said from a distance, and not having any idea that it was her older sister, but it looked like a girl.

@Jovian Medina

He glanced down at the photograph, then picked it up.

“My fiancé.”

He held it in his hand, faced towards her.

“Come here and get a closer look.”

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery felt like she was really missing something right now. Another person to have a fiancée now made her just shake her head since it was outdated.

“Well your fiancée is really pretty.” she said, but when he asked her the next question to take a closer look. She walked in and leaned into the picture and the heart sank. “That’s my sister.” she said, and trying to take a double take.

She knew how much this bothered Hazel, and she looked. “My sister is terrified to marry you.” she sighed. Even though the guy seemed nice, but it was no excuse to be married off like a bull.

@Jovian Medina

Jovian stared at her as she got closer, knowing before she said anything that they were sisters. Now that he could see her eyes properly, it was very plain to see.

“Terrified? Why? She is marrying someone of a prestigious lineage. She should be grateful.”

People were so strange to him. Why were they all like this?

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery had heard various stories from Hazel about how Jovian was, and how very downgrading he was, but right now he didn’t seem at all like that. She looked at the empty seat, and she looked at him. “Do you mind? I’d like to tell you the stories I’ve heard from her about why she terrified.” she said with a raised eyebrow. She knew Hazel wasn’t like most girls, and quite personally neither was Emery.

@Jovian Medina

Jovian stared back at her, and gave a very slight nod.

He didn’t know why this was relevant. How she felt about it - she just needed to get her head together and realise what road had been paved out for her. Security, prestige, a handsome man to support her, and a golden opportunity for her to be the best woman she possibly could be, caring for him and their children. What was there to complain about? He felt a little hard done by, if truth be told.

He waited for her sister to speak. Whatever she had to say, he had a good idea that it would be a whole lot of nonsense.

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery knew Hazel liked men who had been respecting of woman, and it’s also safe to say Emery didn’t know much about Jovian to say the least, but she did feel like he had some outdated views.

“My sister is someone who has been bred to follow in our fathers footsteps, when it comes to the ministry.” she said with a shrug, and Emery knew Hazel wanted to be a politician, and she respected her for it. It wasn’t a outdated point of view since their father was very progressive. “She says you are very downgrading to woman, and I’ve heard numerous other people say that to do.” she said with a sigh. Even if Jovian seemed nice to her. “She’s not the type to be a housewife and neither am I, and we are all very strong-willed.” She pointed out, and Emery had to admit she was very unsure of Jovian, but hoped her insight could do him some good right now.

Emery really wanted to Hazel to be happy, “If this is true, can you please respect my sister’s wishes, since she’s literally one of the best people I know, and it be heartbreaking for her to end up being a housewife”. said Emery, and didn’t know what the response would be. He needed to know she loved Hazel, and how hard working she was.

@Jovian Medina

Despite what it may seem, Jovian was listening to what she was saying. He didn’t want to listen, but he found it hard not to. She was very entrancing in the way that she spoke: the way her eyes seemed to animate every word, was very intriguing to him. He was still staring at her in that calm, measured way that gave away nothing of what he was thinking. After she had finished, he remained much the same: looking at her, his eyes intense, his mouth still.

And quiet...

And nothing...

Then he moved all too suddenly, taking her arm and pulling her over towards him. His lips brushed lightly against her ear as he murmured, mockingly: “Don’t make me laugh.” He put his arm around her waist and held her tightly against him, smirking as he grabbed her chin and guided her eyes to look to his. “She will do what she’s supposed to do, as my wife.” His head moved closer to hers. A small, cruel laugh rattled from his core. “Because really, you all like being told what to do...” He pressed his lips lightly against her cheek. “Don’t you?”

@Emerald Cartwright

Emery had to admit this guy had been very attractive, but she had respect for Hazel in a lot of ways. Was it wise for them to hook up on a train to begin with. A jolt when through there body when he got close to and whispered in her ear. The words she tried to not find offensive, but she wondered if this was some kind of game.

Then he grabbed her waist, and all Emery could do is watch. She didn’t know what to say, but she listened, and the words of Hazel being wife made her cringe, but she didn’t want to show any emotion. “Is that producing an heir to your family name?” she asked with a questioning tone. Her face still blank of emotion, “You do realize it’s 2020 right? That’s an mentality from the 50s, because in my family, my mother runs things from behind the scenes.” she said giving him a smirk, her emotionless face turning. “I’d like to see you try, my sister is very strong willed.” she spoke.

His next words made her look at him, she only liked being told what to do in the bedroom. “I only find it attractive in the bedroom.” she said with a dark glare, to match his cruel laugh. When his lips pressed against her cheeks, she listened, and wondered if it was an opportunity to teach him some more lessons. “Would you like me to give you a course in how to treat a lady,” she whispered in his ear in retaliation to him trying to speak to her. “Are you sure this is wise?” she asked, because right now was the perfect time for him to give him a lesson in chivalry. She liked to think she was quite chivalrous.

@Jovian Medina